The event started when a trans woman splashed coffee onto a police officer following an arrest and picked up steam after trans women were consequently banned from local restaurants. The treatment of trans people by the police was so brutal that there are few historical records of the incident; in 2005, however, a documentary, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria, investigated the event in depth, providing what's probably the clearest picture of it we have.

Compton's no longer exists, but the proposed district will include a five-block area around its previous location. The designation aims to foster "a safe, welcoming, and empowering neighborhood lead by trans people for trans people," according to a press release provided to Curbed San Francisco. This includes giving trans people access to affordable housing — which is incredibly important given that 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth in the United States are LGBTQ — and supporting businesses that are owned by and cater to trans people. The district is also aiming to preserve Compton's and other historically significant buildings for the education of future generations.

Jane Kim, who supervises the district that includes the Tenderloin, believes the time is ripe for a place like this. "The lower Tenderloin is the most important neighborhood in America for transgender history, culture, and civil rights," she told Curbed San Francisco. "In the last few weeks our federal government has made it clear that minority communities have never been more at risk in America."